First report of Zika virus infection in a returned traveller from the Solomon Islands

Abstract

A 33-year-old man returning from the Solomon Islands presented to an emergency department in Brisbane after 4 days of retro-orbital headache, fever, and myalgias, which had started 10 days into his journey. On examination, he was afebrile and had a diffuse erythematous rash. A full blood count revealed mild neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. IgG seroconversion for flavivirus was shown by parallel testing, 15 days apart. Zika virus (ZIKV) RNA was also found in blood, urine and throat samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. The patient received supportive medical care and recovered fully.